Elder brother's garrison

Page 1389

Xiao Bai stared blankly at Admiral Haoding, who had jumped up from the field.

"Hao...Admiral Haoding?"

"That's right, it's me!" Admiral Haoding laughed heartily twice, patting his chest without a care, splashing a lot of black ash from the grass and trees on his body with his hands. "Admiral Lu Lin, it's been more than a month, how have you been!"

"Uh...no...long time no see..." Xiaobai murmured, repeating Admiral Haoding's words. Her gaze lingered on Admiral Haoding's body, finally settling on his face with confusion. "Um...Admiral Haoding, I heard from your ship girl that you didn't seem to be feeling very well..."

"It was Elizabeth who told you, wasn't it?" Admiral Haoding glanced at Elizabeth beside him, then nodded seriously and said to Xiaobai with a strong voice, "Yes... because the progress of the exploration in the eighth chapter of the sea was stuck for a while, I inadvertently spent too much time on the beach, and before I knew it, my body was infected by the high concentration of deep-sea resentment... As an admiral, I should always pay attention to my physical condition, but I made such a low-level mistake at this critical juncture. I am really ashamed."

Admiral Haoding is reflecting on his previous actions.

However, as Xiao Bai looked at Admiral Haoding's straight back, and saw that even the thick mud couldn't hide his muscular physique, and listened to his powerful voice during his self-criticism, his doubts and confusion only grew stronger.

and many more?

Admiral Haoding's current state doesn't seem like that of a patient lying in bed at all. Given his current level of activity, let alone being affected by the deep-sea aura, he probably doesn't even have a minor cold...

"Admiral Haoding, your health..." Xiaobai hesitated before speaking to Admiral Haoding.

"Oh?" Admiral Haoding first looked at Xiaobai, and after noticing the puzzled look on Xiaobai's face, he suddenly realized. He laughed and said to Xiaobai, "Admiral Lu Lin, you must be worried about my health, right?"

"Hmm..." Xiaobai nodded.

"Thank you very much for your concern, Admiral Lu Lin. But please rest assured, although my body has been tainted with some deep-sea resentment, it's nothing serious!" Admiral Hao Ding gave Xiao Bai a thumbs up and said with his chest out, "Deep-sea resentment is just a cold aura that breeds on the sea. So, if I want to eliminate it, I just need to get closer to the earth and use my burning faith and perseverance to drive it away!"

"what?"

"The secret to health! Sweat it out!" Admiral Haoding rolled up his sleeves, and then, without thinking, jumped into the field, grabbed a hoe from the roadside, and started furiously hoeing the soil. "Admiral Lu Lin! There's no illness in this world that can't be cured with a good workout. If there is, it's because you lack perseverance and faith! Oh oh ...

Done.

Admiral Haoding wielded his hoe like a phantom, frantically digging through the field and clearing a wide path in the blink of an eye.

Little White on the shore stared blankly at Admiral Haoding, who was burning with fighting spirit, and was speechless for a moment.

"Admiral Lu Lin, actually, after being tainted by the deep-sea resentment, our admiral started doing this in the fields to drive away the deep-sea resentment..." Elizabeth explained to Xiao Bai with a wry smile, "At first, we tried to persuade the admiral to rest in bed, but he wouldn't listen at all. He said that since he couldn't lead us in battle now, he might as well come and help in the fields, which was better than staying in bed doing nothing... We wanted to persuade him again, but then we found that the admiral's physical condition was actually slowly improving, so we just let him be..."

"This...that's amazing..." Xiaobai looked at Elizabeth with a wry smile, his gaze drifting to Admiral Haoding in the field, somewhat amused and exasperated. "He actually managed to dispel the deep-sea aura with fighting spirit and perseverance...it's quite fantastical..."

Can subjective factors like fighting spirit and perseverance really have an effect on deep-sea atmosphere...?

Xiaobai was quite curious.

Xiao Bai secretly released the Admiral Network, which enveloped Admiral Hao Ding, who was working in the fields.

The Admiral Network quickly relayed Admiral Haoding's physical condition to Xiaobai.

really.

Just as Elizabeth had said before, Admiral Haoding's body was indeed faintly enveloped by a thin aura of the deep sea. However, at the same time, Xiaobai also noticed that as Admiral Haoding worked in the fields, his body was constantly generating heat. This heat was like a blazing, churning flame, sizzling and baking the aura of the deep sea with each of his movements, forcing out wisps of the aura from his body and dissipating into the air.

The process of burning deep-sea energy and forcing it out of the body is extremely slow, like peeling away layers of a cocoon, but it is happening every single second and every single minute.

Understood.

The aura of the deep sea cannot be easily defeated by human willpower and perseverance, but it can be dispelled by the heat generated during high-intensity exercise!

Although the principle is quite different from what Admiral Haoding just said, Admiral Haoding's method of healing by hoeing the ground actually worked quite well, albeit by accident.

"Ah, this..." Xiaobai withdrew from the admiral network, extremely surprised.

After Admiral Haoding cleared another path in the field, he finally remembered Xiaobai on the dry path. He carried his axe and climbed back onto the dry path, laughing heartily at Xiaobai with a satisfied expression.

"Haha, it feels so good to work up a good sweat! It makes me feel so much better, both physically and mentally!"

"..." Xiao Bai looked at Admiral Hao Ding's satisfied smile.

The illness of Admiral Haoding is ultimately different from that of New Jersey.

Although both of them exhibited symptoms of deep-sea energy invading their bodies, New Jersey's symptoms stemmed from swallowing a piece of deep-sea metal, causing a continuous flow of new deep-sea energy into her body. In contrast, Admiral Haoding's symptoms were much milder. He had only accidentally allowed some disposable deep-sea energy to enter his body. The quality of the deep-sea energy in Admiral Haoding's body was far less than that in New Jersey's case. Even without Xiaobai's help, Admiral Haoding could purify his body on his own by continuing to work hard.

However, it must be said that Admiral Haoding is a ruthless person.

“Admiral, Admiral Lu Lin just arrived. She doesn’t know much about the situation in Chapter Eight yet. You should explain the current situation in Chapter Eight to her.” Elizabeth took out a bottle of mineral water and a stack of towels from her ship equipment space and handed them to Admiral Haoding, saying this to him.

"Oh, Elizabeth, you're right." Admiral Haoding, reminded by Elizabeth, finally remembered the important matter.

Hao Ding accepted the towel and bottled water handed to him by Elizabeth, then vigorously wiped his face with the towel to remove the excess dirt and grime, revealing his original skin tone and appearance.

Admiral Haoding's expression finally turned serious.

Seeing that Admiral Haoding looked serious, Xiaobai quickly stood still and waited for Admiral Haoding to introduce the situation of Chapter Eight.

"Admiral Lu Lin." Admiral Hao Ding pondered for a moment before speaking to Xiao Bai.

"I'm here," Xiaobai replied.

"Regarding our development in Chapter Eight..."

"Ah."

"Actually..." Admiral Haoding gave Xiaobai a thumbs up, "It's like this, after several months of hard work by myself and my reliable subordinates, in the current eighth chapter, we now have eighteen sets of accommodation, eight plots of land that have been cultivated and can be directly used for large-scale spring planting next year, and we have also built three large granaries and stockpiled a lot of food. The fishery sector has been initially fully developed. From a nutritional point of view, we have initially formed a self-sufficient resource recycling system!"

"Eh?"

"By the way, besides infrastructure construction, we also used our spare time to make a lot of agricultural tools such as hoes, axes, and picks, as well as a lot of transportation tools such as wheelbarrows..." Admiral Haoding introduced to Xiaobai incessantly, the hoe in his hand spinning around and attracting everyone's attention.

"..." Xiao Bai stared blankly at Admiral Hao Ding.

Ok.

Xiao Bai knew that Admiral Hao Ding was very remarkable.

Within just a few months, he and his ship girls managed to develop such a reliable survival base on land in Chapter 8, achieving both agricultural and fishing successes, and even adding to his construction skill points...

That's amazing.

That's really amazing.

but……

But what Xiaobai wanted to know wasn't about survival!

We're admirals!

Where is the promised sea area?!

What's the situation at sea?!

Chapter 1807, Section 8: The Deep Sea Dean

"Admiral Haoding, the sea... the sea area..."

Xiao Bai listened silently as Admiral Haoding recounted the development of the land. Finally, finding a moment when Admiral Haoding was catching his breath, Xiao Bai hurriedly and weakly asked, "How is the situation in the sea...?"

The eloquent Admiral Haoding stopped talking and stood still.

Xiao Bai wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he noticed that the Admiral Hao Ding seemed a little more subtly melancholy than when he was talking about the land development situation.

“The sea area… ah.” Admiral Haoding murmured, paused for a few seconds, then looked up at Xiaobai with a moved expression, “I didn’t expect Admiral Lu Lin to be so concerned about the battle situation so soon after arriving at Chapter 8, it’s truly touching…”

"It's...it's my duty..." Xiaobai smiled wryly, "But I'm a little curious...since I arrived at Chapter 8, it seems like all the ship girls I've seen, Admiral Haoding, are busy doing things on land. I thought your life here in Chapter 8 would be a bit more...intense than I imagined."

“It’s intense…” Admiral Haoding nodded in empathy. He glanced back at the ship girls working in the fields behind him, and then said to Xiaobai, “Admiral Lu Lin, to be honest, we didn’t stay on land to develop these things because we liked them.”

"Huh? So it wasn't because you liked it?" Xiaobai was taken aback.

"Hmm... Of course, I don't hate it. Labor is the most honorable thing. Farming is an act full of the happiness of labor, and it can reflect the fruits of anyone's hard work." Admiral Haoding said, picking up the hoe in his arms, but still said to Xiaobai, "But no matter what, this is not our naval base's job... Moreover, strictly speaking, it is not the season for farming now."

“Uh…that’s true.” Xiaobai nodded.

"The main reason we're doing these things on land is because of the sea," Admiral Haoding said to Xiaobai. "In fact, we encountered considerable problems two months ago when we were exploring the eighth chapter's sea area."

"Have we run out of resources?" Xiaobai asked Admiral Haoding, recalling the pioneering notes he had previously reviewed.

"Hmm... resources are indeed part of the problem." Admiral Haoding nodded, then asked Xiaobai, "Has Admiral Lu Lin taken the time to read the land reclamation materials I left you?"

"I've read it." Xiaobai nodded.

"As expected of Admiral Lu Lin, your dedication is truly moving!" Admiral Hao Ding clenched his fist and said to Xiao Bai with emotion, "Then the following matters are easy to explain. The pioneering notes I left for you, Admiral Lu Lin, were my records of the pioneering progress up to two months ago. Basically, all the information I knew about the eighth chapter's sea area was written in that note."

"Oh..." Xiaobai nodded.

Admiral Haoding's pioneering diary is indeed very detailed and professional. However, the progress of that pioneering diary only records up to the area near the coast in the eighth chapter. Xiaobai is more curious about the progress after the coast.

"So, in the last two months, how much progress did your garrison make in reclaiming the land?" Xiaobai asked Admiral Haoding.

"Hmm." Admiral Haoding puffed out his chest. "Zero!"

"zero?"

"To put it simply, our progress in conquering the seas over the past two months has been absolutely nonexistent!" Admiral Haoding said with a strong voice.

"Ah, this..." Xiaobai was dumbfounded. "But, but Admiral Haoding, after we parted ways at Ella's house last time, didn't you go back to the naval base to replenish your resources? How come there's still zero progress?"

"Resources are indeed a major problem that has tied us down..." Admiral Haoding nodded in deep agreement, then said to Xiaobai, "However, Admiral Lu Lin, you may not know this, but before we started exploring, the deep sea area here in Chapter Eight was actually in a relatively pristine natural state. At that time, the deep-sea ships here were scattered and wandering around the sea without any organization, so it was relatively simple and easy to explore the sea area... But just when I returned to human society to resupply resources and rushed back to Chapter Eight to continue the advance, my subordinates and I found that things had changed here."

"What has changed is..." Xiaobai looked at Admiral Haoding curiously.

"The Abyssal Fleets of Chapter Eight... seem to have realized that their territory is being occupied by us," Admiral Haoding said to Xiaobai. "Therefore, when I led the ship girls back here to continue our exploration, we encountered fierce resistance from the Abyssal Fleets of Chapter Eight on just the first day. This time, the Abyssal Fleets of Chapter Eight were no longer disorganized; they were united in their hatred of the enemy, formed ranks, and launched wave after wave of powerful attacks on the beach..."

"..." Xiao Bai blinked, waiting for Admiral Haoding to continue.

"Of course, the fact that I'm standing here unscathed means we've won the final victory in the counterattack by the Abyssal Fleet in Chapter Eight," Admiral Haoding said to Xiaobai, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "However... that was merely a probing counterattack launched casually against us outsiders in Chapter Eight. After that battle, my men have used up most of the resources they brought. The remaining resources and quick-repair equipment aren't even enough for us to continue our exploration of the sea. Compared to us, who are almost exhausted, the depths of Chapter Eight still hold countless high-level Abyssal Fleet ships, countless resources, and an inexhaustible supply of Abyssal resentment. We don't know when the next counterattack from Chapter Eight will occur... and without resupply routes, we're at a huge disadvantage."

“…Oh…” Xiaobai nodded thoughtfully, looking up at the fields behind Admiral Haoding. “Then…these fields and buildings are…”

"These are proof of our long-term battle against the deep-sea amphibious ships of Chapter Eight!" Admiral Haoding's eyes lit up as he said to Xiaobai, "Given the current situation in the sea, my naval base alone can no longer advance. In fact, just holding onto this area of ​​coastal waters that we've successfully reclaimed has taken the entire strength of our naval base—but we will not be discouraged. We will firmly defend this land! We will cultivate it, settle down, and establish our base here, treating this land as our beacon of hope! We will pass on that hope to anyone willing to support us on this vast ocean!"

Admiral Haoding spoke with absolute certainty.

"No wonder..." Xiaobai breathed a sigh of relief, "Now I finally understand... In other words, Chapter 8 has now entered a state of alert. The previously scattered deep-sea ships have suddenly become united against a common enemy, forming a considerable fighting force. The difficulty of clearing the area is much higher than before, right?"

“Exactly.” Admiral Haoding nodded.

"..." Xiaobai and Missouri exchanged a thoughtful glance. "In other words, the Deepsea Abyssal Ships have noticed our pioneering activities... and have launched an effective counterattack..."

Deep-sea amphibious ships are strictly class-based creatures.

Deep-sea amphibious creatures have difficulty commanding each other among themselves. In most cases, they are more like scattered terracotta warriors. Even if there are occasional small groups of six or seven, it is difficult to organize them into a large-scale combat force.

The only being with the authority to organize them into a large-scale, well-formed fleet... is the Deep Sea Dean, a being occupying the highest level in the deep-sea creature pyramid...

The Deep Sea Fleet's formation of a fleet to counterattack Haoding Garrison in Chapter 1808 is most likely the work of the Deep Sea Dean.

"So there really is a corresponding Deep Sea Dean in Chapter Eight..." Xiaobai thought for a while and said to Admiral Haoding, "It seems that our actions have been noticed by the Deep Sea Dean of Chapter Eight."

"Yes." Admiral Haoding nodded.

Admiral Haoding is also a world-class admiral, with an excellent understanding of deep-sea habits. Of course, Admiral Haoding also knows this simple reasoning.

Chapter 1809 A Man Who Feels Completely Secure

The Deep Sea Dean is a high-level deep-sea life form that appears when the number of deep-sea vessels in a sea area reaches its peak and there is an excess of deep-sea energy that cannot be consumed. The deity will automatically select one of the deep-sea vessels with the highest potential for promotion.

The Deep Sea Deans not only possess wisdom that grows with time and great strength, but most importantly, as the highest-level deep-sea creatures, they have the ability to command an entire deep-sea amphibious fleet regardless of numbers. As Admiral Haoding mentioned before, the deep-sea amphibious fleets launched a united counterattack in Chapter 8 a few days ago, which was most likely the work of the Deep Sea Deans in this sea area.

Chapter 1810 The sea area is an ancient region that humans have not set foot in for nearly five hundred years since they broke away from the Age of Birth.

This place has been home to the deep sea for 500 years.

It has been in the process of being conceived for five hundred years.

Time flies.

Years are like a shuttle.

The Deep Sea Dean, who appeared in this sea area at some unknown time, must have developed mature wisdom and vigilance over a long period of time. The counterattack launched by the Deep Sea Aborigines against the ship girls of Admiral Haoding should have been just a probing attack, simply to test the combat strength of Haoding Naval Base. As for when she will launch the next attack... Admiral Haoding doesn't know, and neither does Xiaobai.

The only thing Xiaobai and Admiral Haoding knew was that the Deep Sea Dean, who lived deep in the eighth chapter's sea area, certainly didn't have any good intentions towards them, the garrison commanders who came from human society to explore the land.

But what good will it do to know?

Just as Admiral Haoding just said.

After a fierce clash with the Abyssal Fleet, Haoding Garrison ultimately repelled the Abyssal Fleet's attempt to land. However, the resources they had brought from human society were almost entirely depleted in that battle, making it difficult to support their continued exploration. Moreover, even knowing that the Abyssal Dean resided in the Eighth Chapter Sea, and that the Eighth Chapter Sea was extremely dangerous, especially since large areas were unexplored and the danger level increased exponentially with each step forward, Haoding Garrison could not pose a threat to the Abyssal Dean of the Eighth Chapter in the short term.

This illustrates the stark difference between fighting the enemy on your own doorstep and fighting the enemy on the enemy's doorstep.

"However, since the Deep Sea Dean organized a large-scale counterattack last time, there has actually been a good thing," Admiral Haoding said to Xiaobai.

"What good news is it?"

"Perhaps it's to stockpile troops for the next attack. The number of deep-sea amphibious ships that usually appear on shore has decreased significantly, so we've had a pretty quiet time on shore these past few days." Admiral Haoding said, crossing his arms solemnly. "Well... for us, who have changed our plans and are preparing for a long-term war of attrition, at least we won't be wasting resources on ordinary days."

"Oh... then Admiral Haoding, about your resources... I just heard you say that you only have 30% of the resources you brought left, right? With these resources, how do you plan to deal with the next attack?" Xiaobai nodded, thought for a moment, and still asked with some concern.

"Please rest assured, Admiral Lu Lin, the journey from human society to Chapter 8 is long and arduous, but that doesn't mean it's impossible." Admiral Hao Ding said to Xiao Bai, "Admiral Lu Lin, you felt the same way when you arrived here, didn't you? The journey to Chapter 8 is rugged and arduous, but for ship girls, it's not actually that difficult."